Triple Scale Wine & Beer Hydrometer

Don't Forget to Add a Test Jar!

This triple scale hydrometer is perfect for beer and wine.

When making wine or beer at home you must measure the density of the liquid to figure out when the fermenting is complete. The density indicates how much sugar is left in the mixture for the yeast to consume. The more sugar consumed by the yeast, the more alcohol is in the liquid. To test for this you use a hydrometer. A triple scale hydrometer for home wine or beer making has three different scales marked on the inside of the hydrometer's sealed glass tube. The scales are: specific gravity, potential alcohol and brix.

How to use a Triple Scale Hydrometer:

1. Clean and sanitize all of the equipment that will touch the fermenting liquid, including the triple scale hydrometer. Allow all of your equipment to dry.
2. Draw a test sample of liquid into the test jar. The test jar is a tall, slender tube in which the triple scale hydrometer will float. Do not to put so much test liquid into the jar that it overflows when you put in the hydrometer.
3. Bring the sample to the temperature marked on the hydrometer. Each hydrometer is calibrated for a certain temperature. This is usually somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees F. The reading will be inaccurate if the test sample is not at this temperature.
4. Hold the hydrometer by the top and slowly lower it into the test jar. Just before you let go, twist it so that it slowly spins. This ensures that no bubbles cling to the hydrometer and cause it to float higher than it normally would. Make sure the test jar is level so the hydrometer does not touch the sides.
5. Note the level at which the hydrometer emerges from the liquid. The surface of the liquid will be a concave shape called the meniscus. Take the reading from eye level at the bottom of the meniscus.
6. Check your specific beer- or wine-making instructions to find out exactly what scale to use and what readings to look for.